The Military Class and the French Monarchy in the Late Middle Ages

Abstract

DURING THE PERIOD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR, European society exhibited both grave symptoms of decay and striking evidence of "renascence," and historians of several nationalities have shown increased interest in this important time of transition. French political and institutional history affords a good example of the period's extremes of tragedy and triumph, for France experienced a particularly painful transition from "feudal monarchy" to "early modern state." The once prosperous kindgom of St. Louis encountered humiliating reversals under his Valois successors; yet out of this adversity emerged institutions that formed the basis of the French state until the end of the ancien regime. The century from 1345 to 1445 proved to be crucial to French history. The disintegration and reconstruction of the French monarchy during this century were closely linked to two recurring problems: the financial position of the crown and the political stance of the nobility. Inadequate finances plagued the French during their early defeats, while the rapid development of financial institutions under Charles V (1364-80) coincided with a major French revival. Financial collapse after 1400 and the reconstruction of the fiscal system after 1435 accompanied a new cycle of defeat and victory. The weakness or alienation of important segments of the nobility also paralleled the periods of defeat, while the French monarchy triumphed in the 1370S and 1440S with the collaboration of this political and military elite. The essential ingredients of a strong royal army were adequate finances and effective support from the nobility. Thanks to recent scholarship on military organiza-